The Cookies You'll Want to Bake in the Summer

Who says cookie decorating is only for the winter? They should be a year-round goodie. That's why we love the beach-themed cookie cutters from Off the Beaten Path ($11). These simple sugar cookies, made from store-bought dough or from scratch, are perfect for ocean-side picnics, a rainy day during your beach week, or even just for snacking on by the pool.

One way to decorate cookies, sans icing, is by using wafer paper. If wafer paper sounds completely intimidating to you, relax, all it is paper made of potato or rice flour. You can use plain white wafer paper and draw your own designs with a food safe marker, or find patterned paper like the Palm Beach "Lily Pulitzer"-inspired paper ($20 for 5 sheets) that I used for the bikinis above. Wafer paper is easy to use; simply cut out the shape you want, brush with light corn syrup, and adhere to the cookie. For when you feel like decorating with icing, try the our royal icing recipe — it's easy!

Emily Weinberger is a product analyst in the Good Housekeeping Research Institute Kitchen Appliances and Technology Lab.